Calder Valley residents
“We have really struggled this year with Storms Ciara and Dennis in February and now the challenges we face from Covid-19,” reflects Alison Bartram, the owner of Heart Gallery in Hebden Bridge and chairwoman of the town’s Business Forum Committee.
“But I am hoping that 2020 will be a bit like a good game of football – a year of two halves with the second half being by far the more optimistic with a better end result.”
Like many organisations up and down the country – and indeed across the world – the impact of coronavirus has been devastating for many businesses in the Calder Valley.
But their problems have been exacerbated as lockdown was ordered just as they were getting back up on their feet following serious flooding in February from repeated storms.
Alison, whose business had to close for several weeks after suffering flooding during Storm Ciara in mid-February, shut again during lockdown and recently re-opened on July 4 as restrictions were eased, says: “We were just trying to get some kind of normality back when we had to close for Covid.
“We have said it has been a ‘corona-coaster’ of emotions. There has been so many to take in, in such a short space of time.”
She says her business has been luckier than some in Hebden Bridge, with pubs that suffered flooding in February only now starting to re-open after not being sufficiently recovered to re-open their doors prior to lockdown being ordered on March 23.
A social media campaign, organised by the Calderdale Cultural Destinations organisation was launched last month, designed to support businesses and lift the spirits of the area’s many entrepreneurs and creators to help them turn the corner and enjoy a more positive second half of the year.
The “#ILOVE & #IWILL: Celebrate the Calder Valley” campaign saw each day having a different theme – covering independent shops, heritage, music, individual towns, culture, food and drink and the outdoors across the week.
People living locally were encouraged to post about places they love on social media, as well as pledging what action they will take to support that venue or business.
The slogan for the initiative is “We Rally In This Valley” – a phrase that those backing the scheme are being encouraged to use as a hashtag on their social media posts.
The campaign is the brainchild of Calderdale Cultural Destinations’ cultural development manager Laura Johansen.
“After the repeated flooding people were feeling very downhearted and then they were hit by Covid,” she explains.
“People who were normally very optimistic and positive were just a bit sad. I thought the campaign could provide a morale boost to people who really contribute to our community and encourage people to remember what they have got on their doorstep. We all have a role to play in helping these places survive and thrive.”
While the campaign is new, its slogan is not – with “We Rally In This Valley” being used by Hebden Bridge business owners in the immediate aftermath of the floods.
Laura says: “We were playing around with some slogans but ‘We Rally In This Valley’ just really symbolises what this is about. None of the others we were coming up with were as good. I asked Alison if we could use the slogan and she said yes.”
Alison says there is plenty of resilience in the area’s business community – partly as a result of the Boxing Day floods of 2015 that were even more devastating than those experienced this year and which closed her business for over three months – but the additional impact of coronavirus has made pulling together even more vital.
“We’ve got to work together to survive. By that I don’t just mean the business community but also the community in general.
“In the past, businesses were happy in their own bubble plodding along and doing their own thing. However, our survival – and the survival of Hebden Bridge – now depends on us collaborating and partnering up.
“We all have a role to play in